Material Detail

Leading Across Boundaries

This video was recorded at MIT World Series: The Passion to Action Summit: The MIT Leadership Center Launch. "This is a strange and paradoxical time," says moderator Peter Senge, in which people live "more and more in each other's backyard"-- interdependent globally but also fragmented by economics and politics. Senge believes "working across boundaries is the defining challenge" of our era. Ron O'Connor is a pioneer in the practice of crossing boundaries. While volunteering as a medical student in Nepal 30 years ago, he observed devastating mortality rates that could be eradicated if up-to-date public health measures were implemented. But he also understood that Westerners couldn't simply go in and impose solutions on a different culture. "We're seen as a big gorilla knocking over small...
Show More

Disciplines with similar materials as Leading Across Boundaries

People who viewed this also viewed

Comments

Log in
to participate in the discussions or
sign up
if you are not already a MERLOT member.

Full Description

This video was recorded at MIT World Series: The Passion to Action Summit: The MIT Leadership Center Launch. "This is a strange and paradoxical time," says moderator Peter Senge, in which people live "more and more in each other's backyard"-- interdependent globally but also fragmented by economics and politics. Senge believes "working across boundaries is the defining challenge" of our era. Ron O'Connor is a pioneer in the practice of crossing boundaries. While volunteering as a medical student in Nepal 30 years ago, he observed devastating mortality rates that could be eradicated if up-to-date public health measures were implemented. But he also understood that Westerners couldn't simply go in and impose solutions on a different culture. "We're seen as a big gorilla knocking over small helpless countries." The organization he founded assists and trains native communities and leaders to put their own health solutions in place. In a Bangladesh family planning effort, O'Connor was "thrilled to see illiterate village women organize themselves" and halve their fertility rate over two decades. In Frannie Leautier's job, she's forbidden to "influence via money….just through ideas." "I can't rely on much more than people talking to each other and making decisions together," she says. So her clients' perspective and needs come first. In Sri Lanka, for instance, where Leautier's group lived for two weeks in a poor village, she learned that providing running water was less essential than creating two ponds: one for people and the other for elephants. Jeremy Hockenstein says he's "inspired by people who have overcome much more than me and worked harder than I ever had." A visit to Cambodia introduced Hockenstein to large numbers of poor people "trying to learn computers, and English" but for whom no jobs existed. He decided to launch a data entry business dedicated to providing some of the neediest Cambodians with decent livelihoods. Digital Divide Data trains and hires disabled people and women rescued from sex trafficking, among others. They work six-hour days and go to school. Says Hockenstein, "We measure ourselves by how many go on to better jobs in the future." Center Launch]]**

Delete Comment

This will delete the comment from the database. This operation is not
reversible. Are you sure you want to do it?

Report a Broken Link

Thank you for reporting the broken link in MERLOT to help us
maintain a collection of valuable learning materials.

If you know the NEW link for the material, please enter in the field
below. Otherwise, leave the field blank.

If you are logged in member of MERLOT, we can notify you when the
link is fixed.

NEW UPDATED URL for
material

Link Reported as Broken

Your broken link report has been sent to the MERLOT Team.
Thank you for helping MERLOT maintain a current collection of
valuable learning materials!

Link Report Failed

Your broken link report failed to be sent. Please try reloading the page
and reporting it again. Thank you! Sorry for the trouble.

Report an Inappropriate Material

If you feel this material is inappropriate for the MERLOT
Collection, please click SEND REPORT, and the MERLOT Team will
investigate. Thank you!

Material Reported as Inappropriate

Your inappropriate material report has been sent to the
MERLOT Team. Thank you for helping MERLOT maintain a valuable
collection of learning materials.

Material Report Failed

Your inappropriate material report failed to be sent. Please try
reloading the page and reporting it again. Thank you! Sorry for the
trouble.

Comment Reported as Inappropriate

Your inappropriate comment report has been sent to the
MERLOT Team. Thank you for helping MERLOT maintain a valuable
collection of learning materials.

Rate this Material

You just viewed
Leading Across Boundaries.
Please take a moment to rate this material.

Rate

Search by ISBN?

It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?

Searching for Members?

You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.